Taft man arrested for drive-by paintball gun shooting

Victim was shot several times in the face with wife and two-year-old in car

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Taft Midway Driller - Taft, CA

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Posted Jul. 18, 2014 at 12:06 PM

Posted Jul. 18, 2014 at 12:06 PM

A Taft man is charged with assault with a deadly weapon after what the Kern County Sheriff's Office is describing as a drive-by shooting with a paintball gun followed by a confrontation where the victim was hit in the legs by the suspect's vehicle.

The victim, a man whose name was not released, was hit several times in the face while in a car with his wife and two-year-old daughter.

The woman and child were not hurt.

The victim, whose identify was not released, suffered minor wounds from that attack and suffered moderate injuries to his legs a short time later when he confronted his alleged attacker and was struck by a car when the suspect tried to flee.

Sgt. Marc Haiungs said deputies first received a report of an assault with a deadly weapon at the junction of Highway 166 and Highway 33on Monday about 11 a.m.

They were told a man had been shot in the face with a paintball gun

During their investigation, Haiungs said, they were told that Mario Gurrola, 32, of Taft, had driven past the victim's vehicle and shot the victim several times in the face with the woman and child in the car.

After the shooting, Haiungs said, the victim followed Gurrola to the Jolly Kone drive-in parking lot in Maricopa where he stood in front of Gurrola’s vehicle in an attempt to prevent

him from leaving before before deputies arrived.

At that point, Haiungs said, Gurrola pulled forward, striking the victim in the legs.before fleeing.

The victim was transported by ambulance to Mercy Southwest Hospital

where he was treated for minor to moderate injuries to his legs, Haiungs said.

Gurrola was arrested Tuesday and charged with assault with deadly weapon, felony child endangerment and making criminal threats.